STOKE have moved swiftly to appoint Adam Isherwood as the club’s new co-promoter and team manager replacing Malcolm Vasey who has made the move to Mildenhall.

Potters promoter Dave Tattum said “Adam is the obvious choice to take over as team manager after being assistant team manager and covering for Malcolm (Vasey) a number of times over the past couple of years, and when I spoke to him and asked him to come on board as manager and co-promoter he accepted immediately and I’m delighted he has done so. Adam has done a number of jobs around here for the club for quite a long time now and has worked well with the riders we’ve had in the past and works well with them and I’m delighted he’s on board for 2019.”

Isherwood, has been assistant manager for the past couple of years and is excited to be taking on the full role as team manager commenting “I’m looking forward to the season ahead and although I’m not new to the role it is a new title for me and another string to my bow and Stoke speedway having done various jobs here over the years and I’m looking forward to the new role. We have some good lads in the team for 2019, everything is looking positive about the club. I feel every rider we have got has the potential to add to their average for next season and I feel that we are a team that is going to be feared, six weeks into the season I think people will be looking up and noticing Stoke Speedway for a change instead of thinking oh we.ve got points in the back here it’s only Stoke, and I do think some teams will be running scared of us next season with the riders we have. There is room for improvement throughout the side and I feel some will improve more than others and that’s the key to success if you have got a lot of riders in the team that will improve their starting average. “We have Joe Alcock and Corban Pavitt at the lower end of the team and it’s always been my belief that you need those young riders with potential at the bottom end of the team they get more experienced as the season goes on and get more confident also and the reserves are just as important as having your Tom Perry’s Luke Chessell’s and Connor Coles at the top end of the side. As we saw with Joe (Alcock) at the start of the season he was like a rabbit in the headlights in the early matches and at the end of the season he’d settled down and looked a good speedway rider out there battling for points and that’s what you want from our young reserves.

Isherwood continued “I have spoken with all of the riders and was speaking to Tom (Perry) the other day and he was saying that he wished the season was starting on Saturday as he couldn’t wait for the season to start and Corban (Pavitt) is the same and I know he’s looking to get a couple of laps in at Scunthorpe over the winter if the track is fit to ride up there and everyone just cannot wait to get the season started. All the feedback from the general public and supporters is positive and I really feel that the riders we have here this season will be popular with the supporters and I think they are all fans favourites here before we turn a wheel and they will be even bigger favourites when they start winning matches for us.”